Object
Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020
Representation ID: 14488
Received: 14/12/2020
Respondent: Catesby Estates Limited
Agent: Terence O'Rourke
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
The requirement for self and custom build plots in Policy P4D is not supported by the HEDNA, unduly onerous and not justified. SMBC should provide a robust assessment of demand including an assessment and review of data held on the Council’s Register, which should be
supported by additional data from secondary sources to understand and consider future need for this type of housing. There is no evidence for the threshold at which provision is required or the percentage requirement, or clarity on the position if plots are unsold. This restrictive burden is contrary to national guidance which will lead to viability, delivery and management issues and similar proposals have been removed at examinations
Policy P4D should either be deleted from the Local Plan in full or amended to remove the requirement for developers of allocated sites to contribute to self and custom build housing.
Should the self and custom housebuilding policy remain, it should be amended so as to be supportive and encourage such forms of building. The provision of such plots on allocated development sites should only be at the discretion of the developer and based on the market requirements at the time.
If the Council believe the policy is justified it is requested that the policy be amended to allow for either
self-build or custom build plots, thus partly reducing the onerous nature of the policy whilst allowing
developers to adequately plan and manage sites.
See attached